This invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing a variety of information such as images and characters to a recording medium, such as a card, and more particularly to a printing apparatus that is capable of switching printing methods according to the characteristics of the recording medium or the information that is to be recorded.
Conventionally, thermal transfer method printing apparatuses that record desired images and characters by thermally transferring with a thermal head via a thermal transfer film to a recording medium are used to create card shaped recording medium, like credit cards, cash cards, license cards and ID cards. As an example, Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H9-131930 teaches a direct transfer method printing apparatus that directly transfers images and characters to a recording medium via thermal transfer film. The use of a thermal sublimate ink has the benefit of attaining high quality images because this type of ink is more expressive. However, a receptive layer to receive ink on the surface of a recording medium to which images, etc., are transferred is an essential element to enable this method of printing, so a problem exists in that either the type of recording medium that can be used is limited, or it is necessary to form the aforementioned receptive layer upon the surface of a recording medium.
Generally, cards made of polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC cards) are widely used as the recording medium because they can receive thermal sublimate ink. However, due to the fact that harmful substances are generated when these cards are burned, there has been consideration given to switching to cards made of polyethylene terephthalate (also known as PET cards). However, PET cards have a crystal-like quality so not only is it difficult to use them for thermal sublimate printing, but embossing them is also difficult. Thus, if it is necessary to emboss the surface of the recording medium, the use of PVC cards is presently unavoidable.
Furthermore, in recent years there are card shaped media of the type having IC chips or antennae embedded therein such as IC cards, which are being used in a variety of fields. Because of the embedding of such elements into the card, the surface of the card becomes uneven resulting in problems in transferring images.
Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-332742 teaches the technology of an indirect transfer method printing apparatus that transfers an image to an intermediate transfer medium once, then transfers that image again to the recording medium, as a method for overcoming the aforementioned problems. According to this method, it is possible to overcome the problems such as the limitation of recording medium related to the receptive layer or the transferring of images to an uneven surface of the recording medium which had been considered demerits of the direct transfer method. Furthermore, this method has the advantage of being easier to print to the entire surface of the card shaped recording medium compared to the direct transfer method.
Disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-58125 is a thermal transfer printing apparatus that prints to both the front and back surfaces of a recording paper, configured to transfer ink to an intermediate transfer film using a thermal head and after forming an image, to re-transfer the ink image to a recording paper surface by a heat roller, and configured to transfer ink to the back side of a recording paper with a thermal head that is different from the aforementioned thermal head.
However, running costs for the intermediate transfer method are higher than the direct transfer method because an intermediate transfer medium must be used. Printing also takes longer. Furthermore, depending on the design of the card, even if the entire front surface is required for printing, often times the back side only is used to print precautions for card use, thus there are fewer cases requiring printing over the entire surface, so there are merits and demerits for both methods of printing. Furthermore, according to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H8-58125, a plurality of thermal heads and ink films are disposed so the printing apparatus becomes very large in size thereby increasing associated costs. Still further, in the event that a coating film is used to protect the ink transferred to the back side of the recording paper in the transferred layer using the aforementioned different thermal head, or to prevent falsification, a separate apparatus such as an over-coating apparatus would be required, thereby increasing the overall size of the apparatus and its associated costs.
Therefore, to handle information relating to printing, such as the surface shape and characteristics of the recording medium including the type of material of the recording medium such as whether it is PVC or PET, embossed or whether or not it includes IC elements and whether or not it is necessary to print to the entire surface of the recording medium, a printing apparatus can switch printing methods between the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method to enable printing with the method most appropriate to the recording medium, and to reduce running costs associated with printing. Furthermore, members required for printing in the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method are intensively arranged and if part of the members can be unified, the overall size of the printing apparatus can be made more compact and a lower cost printing apparatus can be attained. Furthermore, an over-coating apparatus is built-in to cover the surface of recording medium thereupon directly printed by the printing apparatus and if the member is shared, it is possible to conserve space and to promote the reduction of cost so such printing apparatus could be widely used.
An object of the present invention is to provide a low cost printing apparatus that can switch between the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method for printing and is not large in overall size.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can print to a recording medium with the most appropriate printing method and that reduces the running costs associated with printing.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus can form high quality images with both the direct transfer method and the indirect transfer method.
In order to attain the aforementioned objectives, the print apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with a first printing means for forming images on a recording medium and a second printing means for forming images on an intermediate transfer medium that temporarily retains the image, a transfer means for transferring the image on the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium to the aforementioned recording medium, the aforementioned first printing means and the aforementioned second printing means rearranged at the same position.
The aforementioned first printing means and the aforementioned second printing means are composed of the same printing elements. A platen is opposingly arranged to the aforementioned printing elements that support the aforementioned recording medium when forming images thereto by the aforementioned first printing means and that supports the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium when forming images thereto by the aforementioned second printing means.
Further provided is a thermal energy control means for controlling the aforementioned printing elements to vary the thermal energy for printing images when forming images on a recording medium with the aforementioned first printing means and when forming images on a recording medium with the aforementioned second printing means. The aforementioned thermal energy control means controls so that the thermal energy applied when forming images on a recording medium using the aforementioned first printing means is greater than that applied when forming images on the intermediate transfer medium by the aforementioned second printing means.
The aforementioned transfer means can be a heat roller comprising a heating element.
Still further comprised are a recording medium transport means for transporting the aforementioned recording medium, a recording medium transport drive means for driving the aforementioned recording medium transport means, an intermediate transfer medium transport means for transporting the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium and an intermediate transfer medium transport drive means for driving the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport means, wherein the aforementioned recording medium transport drive means and the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport drive means are driven so that the transport direction of the aforementioned recording medium when forming images thereto by the aforementioned first printing means and the transport direction of the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium when forming images thereto by the aforementioned second printing means are the same.
Still further comprised are a recording medium transport means for transporting the aforementioned recording medium, a recording medium transport drive means for driving the aforementioned recording medium transport means, an intermediate transfer medium transport means for transporting the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium and an intermediate transfer medium transport drive means for driving the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport means, wherein the aforementioned recording medium transport drive means and the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport drive means are driven so that the transport speed of the aforementioned recording medium when forming images thereto by the aforementioned first printing means and the transport speed of the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium when forming images thereto by the aforementioned second printing means are the different. At this time, it is preferable that the transport speed of the intermediate transfer medium by the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport means is higher than the transport speed of the recording medium by the aforementioned recording medium transport means.
Still further comprised are the first thermal transfer sheet comprising a plurality of colored inks that is applied by the aforementioned first printing means, and the second thermal transfer sheet comprising a plurality of colored inks that is applied by the aforementioned second printing means, wherein the aforementioned first and the aforementioned second thermal transfer sheets are composed of the same sheet. The aforementioned first and second thermal transfer sheets are arranged with the layer region of a plurality of inks and either a layer region of a single adhesive or a protective layer region in order.
Also comprised are the thermal transfer sheet transport means for transporting the aforementioned first and second thermal transfer sheets, the aforementioned thermal transfer sheet transport means being driven so that the transport speed of the aforementioned first thermal transfer sheet when forming images to a recording medium by the aforementioned first printing means and the transport speed of the aforementioned second thermal transfer sheet when forming images to the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium by the aforementioned second printing means are different. At this time, the transport speed of the aforementioned second thermal transfer sheet when forming images to the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium by the aforementioned second printing means is preferred to be higher than the transport speed of the first thermal transfer sheet when forming images to the aforementioned recording medium by the aforementioned first printing means.
Also provided is a thermal energy control means for controlling the first and second printing means to form images by varying the thermal energy the aforementioned first printing means applies to the aforementioned first thermal transfer sheet when forming images to the aforementioned recording medium and the thermal energy the aforementioned second printing means applies to the aforementioned second thermal transfer sheet when forming images to the aforementioned recording medium. At this time, it is preferred that the aforementioned thermal energy control means controls so that the thermal energy applied to the first thermal transfer sheet by the aforementioned first printing means is greater than that applied to the aforementioned second thermal transfer sheet by the aforementioned second printing means.
The print apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with at least one printing means for selectively forming images to a recording medium and to an intermediate transfer medium that temporarily retains images, an over-coating means to cover the surface of the aforementioned recording medium formed thereupon with images with a coating film and a transfer means for transferring the image on the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium to the aforementioned recording medium, the aforementioned over-coating means and the aforementioned transfer means arranged at the same position.
The aforementioned over-coating means and the aforementioned transfer means arranged at the same position are composed of the same heating elements. The aforementioned heating elements can be a heat roller comprising exothermic body.
Here, further comprised are the supply spool shaft that is capable of mounting the first supply spool for supplying the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium and the second supply spool for supplying the aforementioned coating film and the take-up spool shaft that is capable of mounting the first take-up spool for taking up the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium and the second take-up spool for taking up the aforementioned coating film, at least one of the aforementioned supply spool shaft and the aforementioned take-up spool shaft is a single spool shaft.
A platen is opposingly arranged to the aforementioned heating elements and supports the aforementioned recording medium when covering by the aforementioned over-coating means and when transferring images by the aforementioned transfer means.
Further equipped is the first drive means that rotatingly drives the aforementioned take-up spool shaft, wherein this first drive means rotatingly drives the aforementioned first supply spool and/or the aforementioned second supply spool. At this time, it is preferred that the aforementioned first drive means is a reversible rotating drive motor.
The intermediate transfer medium transport means for transporting the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium is equipped in the intermediate transfer medium transport path between the aforementioned first supply spool and the aforementioned first take-up spool and further equipped is the second drive means for rotatingly driving the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport means. At this time, the second drive means is a reversible drive motor, and further equipped with a measuring means for measuring the feeding and returning amount of the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium disposed in the aforementioned intermediate transfer medium transport path.
Other objectives and features of the present invention shall be clearly explained in a detailed description of the preferred embodiment below based upon the drawings provided.